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In the spring of 2025, the SEA Us Write & Design Fellowship launched its youth circle for Hmong boys ages 12 to 14. It was a safe and supportive space to build sisterhood and develop creative writing and artistic skills through a series of ten creative workshops. With this space, the youths also learned to navigate and express their personal experiences and voices as Southeast Asian creatives.
These workshops strived to strengthen youth as a SEA and creative individual through creative methods by providing a safe and supportive space, such as:
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Building positive relationships
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Exploring intersecting identities
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Empowering voices
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Fostering individual growth and success
Through this program, the youths grew as artists and entrepreneurs. At the end of the program, they:
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Successfully made a zine or a short story book that showcases their creativity
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Developed their own creative products to sell at the Hmong Youth Arts and Crafts Fair
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Learned about what it's like to have an art and writing career
Hmong Youth Arts & Crafts Fair
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Youth Members
Camelia
CamLy Art
Camelia is a self-taught artist and has been sketching & drawing since she was four. She is a lover of K-Pop and anime. Camelia has always felt this creative side to her and applies it to the various mediums she has been experimenting with, such as drawing and crocheting. In the future, Camelia hopes to pursue a career in the art field.
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Cece
Cece's Core
Cece is a young artist who specializes in digital character drawings and fantasy storytelling. She enjoys coming up with stories and develop them with her writing skill and character design skill.
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Juniper
FF&Crafts
Juniper is a 12-year-old who likes to do pencil sketches, digital art, watercolor, and other types of crafts. Juniper's hobbies include playing the flute, listening to music, and spending time with her family & friends. Here are some of Juniper's dreams growing up: be a designer, a dermatologist, a business owner, or a chemist. She hopes that a lot of people enjoy her art and can relate to it on a positive level.
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Isabelle
Isabelle Thao
Isabelle is a 6th grader at Brooklyn Middle STEAM school. She likes to work on digital art and painting during her free time. Isabelle is also a K-pop enjoyer and she plays the viola for fun. Isabelle hopes to be an entrepreneur one day.
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Luna
Luna & Sora
Luna likes to use a mix of media and traditional art styles. Some of her hobbies are
reading fantasy novels and watching anime.
A job career that she would like to have when she grows up is to be an author.
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Oleevia
Amaleomation
Oleevia has been writing for four years. She enjoys loafing around with her chickens and attempting to sing. Her most recent goal is working towards continuing her 4-year-long streak of attending karate lessons. She is most proficient in consuming seafood.
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Mentors
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Ngân Elic Huỳnh
(she/they)
Design/Writing Mentor
Ngân Elic Huỳnh (she/they) is a Vietnamese illustrator based in Minneapolis. They graduates from MCAD with a BFA degree in Illustration and Advertising minor.
With particular skills in narrative illustration, concept design, creative ideation, and a passion for whimsical and colorful drawings with hidden narratives. The world is enriched with beautiful messages and stories and Ngân enjoys decoding them through her own unique lens of hues and symbols.
When not working away on their tablet or sketchbook, you can find Ngân walking around discovering a new favorite coffee shop or vintage store.
Ngân Elic Huỳnh (she/they) is a Vietnamese illustrator based in Minneapolis. They graduates from MCAD with a BFA degree in Illustration and Advertising minor.
With particular skills in narrative illustration, concept design, creative ideation, and a passion for whimsical and colorful drawings with hidden narratives. The world is enriched with beautiful messages and stories and Ngân enjoys decoding them through her own unique lens of hues and symbols.
When not working away on their tablet or sketchbook, you can find Ngân walking around discovering a new favorite coffee shop or vintage store.
Ngọc Đoàn (she/they) is a Minnesota based comic artist. She currently works at Smart Set, Inc. as a digital print technician helping folks with their printing needs in South Minneapolis.
Ngọc has a passion for telling compelling stories and creating interesting page layouts, from slice of life coming of age stories, to fantasy action adventures. She also enjoys late night snacks.
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Ngọc Đoàn
(she/they)
Guest Artist
Ngọc Đoàn (she/they) is a Minnesota based comic artist. She currently works at Smart Set, Inc. as a digital print technician helping folks with their printing needs in South Minneapolis.
Ngọc has a passion for telling compelling stories and creating interesting page layouts, from slice of life coming of age stories, to fantasy action adventures. She also enjoys late night snacks.
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